Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing has gained recognition as a formidable technique for detecting drug and alcohol consumption. Hair provides an extended timeline of alcohol and drug use by encasing biomarkers within its growing fibers. When collected near the scalp, hair offers nearly a 3-month period of detection for alcohol and drugs. Hair collection is straightforward, difficult to tamper with, and easily transported.
A 1.5-inch segment comprising about 200 strands (comparable to a #2 pencil thickness) from the scalp yields 100mg of hair, sufficient for both screening and confirmation. For EtG, additional panels, and tests exceeding 10 panels, a 150mg sample is advisable. It's best to weigh the sample using a jeweler's scale. In the absence of scalp hair, an equivalent amount of body hair can be used. "Head hair" pertains exclusively to scalp hair, while "body hair" encompasses all other hair types, such as facial and axillary hair.
Process Overview
The laboratory process for drug test results encompasses four key steps: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning signifies the first stage of integrating a sample into the lab's system. This step checks that the sample is sealed and shipped correctly, assigns a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completes any pending data entry absent from an electronic chain of custody.
Screening acts as an initial, rapid assay for drug abuse. Though cost-effective for excluding drug usage in most samples, any positive screen must undergo confirmation for legal admissibility. Samples with a preliminary positive result in Screening require further confirmation.
If a sample tests presumptively positive during Screening, additional hair from the original sample is prepared for Extraction. Here, drug extraction occurs at a substantially lower concentration compared to other methods (i.e., urine or oral fluid), showcasing hair drug screening as the most challenging methodology to perform.
Confirmation of any positive screening is performed through GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Prior to confirmation, all presumptive positive samples are washed if necessary. The full lab procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is reviewed under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair guidelines and the ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Despite common reference as "hair follicle tests", this test examines the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing
Extended Detection Window
Tamper-Resistant Testing Method
Convenient Nationwide Testing Locations and Local Locations
Simple, Confidential Process
Affordable Pricing and Fast Turnaround
Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results
Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers
